Detroit Pistons: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 season opener
By Amaar Burton
3. Detroit’s defense made plays in crunch time
Even though the Pistons finished last season 39-43 and on the outside of the playoffs looking in, one thing they did well was defend. In head coach Stan Van Gundy’s final season at the helm, Detroit tied for sixth in the league in fewest points allowed, giving up 103.9 points per game.
The addition of Blake Griffin (via trade last February) and the hiring of coach Dwane Casey (after Van Gundy was fired) shifted a lot of focus to the offense, but the Pistons will do a lot to help themselves improve if they keep up the solid defense.
Turning a double-digit first-quarter deficit into a double-digit third-quarter lead doesn’t happen without a strong defensive effort to set the stage for an offensive rally.
Detroit was then clinging to a one-point lead in the final minute when it got three stops to help preserve the win; the biggest was when the Pistons forced Brooklyn’s Caris LeVert — who led all scorers with 27 points — into a turnover with eight seconds remaining.